Link

Licensing Models

Labs64 NetLicensing is sophisticated enough to cover even the most outlandish licensing models: from single-user to network overflow licenses. Labs64 NetLicensing provides the software vendor with the ability to map/combine numerous licensing models.

Licensing models combine different parameters that define how a product can be used by the end user. NetLicensing offers you the flexibility to assign multiple licensing models to your product, so you can create a composite licensing model that is specific to your needs. With NetLicensing you can define licensing models for specific customers, geographies, business models, or any other criteria.

This table provides a description and configuration specifics for licensing models supported by NetLicensing as well as some of the possible licensing models and combinations that can be adopted by NetLicensing.

Licensing Model

Aliases

(also known as)

Description Status
Try & Buy
  • Evaluation
  • Demo
  • Trialware
  • Functional-limited demo version
  • Time Limited Evaluation

This licensing model is useful in case you want to distribute secure trial or demo version of your product.

Trial licenses are granted for a short time and allow customers to try the product before buying it. Usually, production-level work is not allowed and some features may be limited or disabled in demo mode. The product is completely disabled after trial license has expired, unless full-featured license is granted.

(tick) AVAILABLE

Subscription
  • ABO
  • Time-limited
  • Time-Based
  • TimeVolume

Subscription licensing model allows user to enable product for a specific period of time, with the possibility of the subscription renewal. Different subscription periods can be offered each with its own price.

Support for auto-renewal with recurring payment is available.

(tick) AVAILABLE

Pricing Table
  • Pricing Plan
  • Membership Plan
  • SaaS Subscription

Price and package in minutes without having to re-code or re-engineer back-office systems.

(tick) AVAILABLE

Rental
  • Leasing
  • Feature with TimeVolume
This is a complex licensing model, useful in the case you want to license multiple instances of some entity, each instance for a certain period of time. In other words it can be described as a bunch of independent subscriptions, where customer decides in addition for how many instances he wants to subscribe.

(tick) AVAILABLE

Floating
  • Concurrent
  • Network
  • Shared

Floating licensing model authorizes the use of an application with the given number of sessions (users, hosts, etc.). The number of concurrent sessions is tracked, and the total number of running sessions of the licensed application at any time is limited by the maximum allowed sessions in the floating licenses purchased by the licensee.

(tick) AVAILABLE


Multi-Feature
  • Pay-per-feature
  • Feature-based
  • Modular
  • Multi-Module

This licensing model allows enabling or disabling product features on the user's needs and budget.

It may be used to create an upgrade path from a “lite” version to “standard,” “pro,” “enterprise” etc. versions without modifying the software or uninstalling the existing version.

(tick) AVAILABLE

Pay-per-Use
  • Pre-paid
  • Post-paid
  • Pay-per-click

Limits the quantity of the license uses, in addition to the license validity. License fees are based on the actual usage.

The usage may be defined by various metrics such as CPU load, network bandwidth utilization, or something related to the nature of your application.

The billing is tied to the usage model, which can be:

  • Time based: billing on the duration of use
  • Count based: billing on the number of uses
  • Volume based: billing on the amount of resource use

(tick) AVAILABLE

Node-Locked
  • Local
  • Named host

Software is licensed for use only on one or more named computer systems. Usually, hardware-bound identification like CPU serial number is used to enforce this type of license.

 

(tick) AVAILABLE

Quota
  • Limit
  • Capacity
  • Quantity
  • Volume
This licensing model defines the capacity limits (quota) for any resource / product feature, such as allowed users, network throughput, storage volume, etc.

(tick) AVAILABLE

Standard

  • Permanent
  • Single-user
  • Perpetual

This license is a non-transferable license allowing product use on a single computer and/or by a single user. Once purchased, the product can be used without limitations.

How to configure

Use Try & Buy Licensing model with try/evaluation period set to a minimum value of 1 day.

(info)

See "How to configure"

Named User

  • Personal licenses

License rights are granted to specific user IDs. The software may be used on any computer by a user ID that is on a list of licensed users.

How to configure

NetLicensing currently is not supporting explicitly prevention of a concurrent license use by the same ID from several locations, however it is possible to associate user IDs with the licenses.

Option 1) Add custom property to the license identifying specific named user and verify ID matching on validation.

Option 2) Derive licensee number from the user ID.

Option 3) Use Node-Locked licensing model with *nodeSecret* assigned from the user ID.

(info)

See "How to configure"

Duplicate grouping (license sharing) by user, host or display   Grouping license defines rules for counting usage when a single user concurrently runs the same application on several computers. This instance may count as a single use or a multiple use, depending on the license terms.

(grey lightbulb)

PLANNED

Capacity or performance   A licensing model based on the host computer's (one or more servers) capacity or performance can be used for compute-intensive applications such as databases or transaction processing. However, the complexity and diversity of computers, platforms, networks and fabrics make deriving relevant metrics extremely equivocal. The business value is likely to be not at all related to CPU cycles or processes invoked.

(grey lightbulb)

PLANNED

Group License  

This type of license can be used to develop a consortium. It grants rights only to members of a specific group such as named entities, or those that adhere to a particular standard, or have received a particular certification. Group licenses may require licensees to grant special rights to all members of the group such as mandatory no-fee cross-licensing.

(grey lightbulb)

PLANNED

High-watermark of past use   Usage fees are calculated based on the maximum number of concurrent users in a defined past time period (typically monthly).

(grey lightbulb)

PLANNED

Linger use   The user has license rights for a fixed time period. Linger licenses are attractive for applications that are used for very short periods such as a few seconds or minutes. They increase the number of low-cost licenses that larger customers must buy, while small customers may enjoy a lower price thereby allowing the vendor to reach a broader audience through pricing.

(grey lightbulb)

PLANNED

Node-locked counted   Software is licensed for a limited number if concurrent users on a single computer system.

(grey lightbulb)

PLANNED

Overdraft   Such licenses grant N more licenses than were purchased, giving customers a way to manage peak use without violating the license. The licensor can charge a fee for overdrafts protection (insurance) as well as separate fees for each overdraft license. Advantages to licensors are flexibility, simplicity, and price locks that give predictable costs.

(grey lightbulb)

PLANNED

Packages or bundling   Packages licenses grant rights to use a set of functionally dependent or independent products, or bundle. Vendors define the components of the packages or bundles in the license agreement. Such licenses allow vendors to easily customize solutions on a marketing, not engineering, level.

(grey lightbulb)

PLANNED

Package suite   Package suites restrict the concurrent sharing of a package's components. For example, no two users may concurrently use MS Word and MS PowerPoint. This type of license is used by vendors with broad product lines as a competitive price discounting strategy.

(grey lightbulb)

PLANNED

Site license   Grant rights to all valid users at a named location; may be unlimited in number, or up to a certain number. This is a cost-effective option for large customers, especially where the usage load might grow quickly or varies greatly.

(grey lightbulb)

PLANNED

Upgrade dates and/or version numbers   Upgrade terms grant rights to use upgraded versions of the software. The customer may upgrade only X number of times or the customer can only use specific upgrade versions, or must upgrade within a certain time period following the release of Version X. These terms encourage the installed base to use certain versions so that the licensor may withdraw, or offer special pricing for support of other versions.

(grey lightbulb)

PLANNED

Commuter
  • Pendler

A license that can be temporarily detached from a network pool center to enable off-line use of your protected software.

(grey lightbulb)

PLANNED

VLK (Volume License Key)   A license model that enables you to sell a pool of licenses to an organization, without requiring product activation on every machine, while still enforcing the maximum number of installed workstations.

(grey lightbulb)

PLANNED

Donationware
  • Pay what you want (PWYW)
  • Value-for-Value
  • Careware
  • Charityware
  • Helpware
  • Goodware
This licensing model supports tracking of donations to the licensor, or to an external (usually charitable) organization. Such tracking information may be useful to display live statistics, e.g. to motivate donators.

(grey lightbulb)

PLANNED

Custom Licenses  

With NetLicensing, you can create complex licensing models that fit your business needs.

(question)

CONTACT US!


Table of contents